1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to a system for harvesting sap from sap producing trees, e.g., maple trees, and to apparatus used therein. More specifically, it relates to a novel spout member and to various apparatus components comprising a family of quick connect/disconnect fittings or connectors and to adaptors suitable for use in a closed sap collection system comprising lengths of interconnected flexible plastic tubing. Furthermore, it relates to a kit for use in the installation of a sap collection system comprising a novel spout member and a plurality of various such fittings, adaptors and lengths of flexible plastic tubing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The harvesting, or collecting, of sap from maple trees for the production of maple syrup and sugar was learned by the early colonists in New England from the Indians. Such harvesting has become an ever increasing important industry in New England and is practiced in Vermont and New Hampshire, among other of the states in the United States. Collecting sap from maple trees and manufacturing syrup therefrom comprises a significant and major source of income for thousands of people in the United States and Canada, and in certain other countries in the world. Accordingly, it is important that the trees in a grove of maple trees, or sugarbush, be kept in a continuing health condition.
In early days, the maple sap was collected in a bucket hung beneath a spout or tap inserted into an elongated dead bore provided in the trunk of the maple tree. The sap was then collected from all the buckets in the sugarbush and brought to a sugar house centrally located in the grove of maple trees for boiling to produce the syrup and sugar. This manner of harvesting the sap is, as will be well appreciated, an extremely labor intensive operation. As a result of such a collection system, the commercial harvesting of sap from maple trees became an ever increasingly uneconomical operation, particularly as the labor costs connected therewith increased over the years. Thus, there developed relatively early on in commercial sap operations the need for a more cost effective means of collecting sap for processing into maple syrup and sugar.
Sap collecting systems involving conduits or pipes for conveying the sap from trees in the sugarbush to a remote collection point for processing were known at lest as early as the earlier part of the present century. Such an early sap collection system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,186,741, which issued to Brower on Jun. 13, 1916. In that patent, there is disclosed a sap collecting system which comprises a main conduit to which is connected a plurality of branch conduits. To the branch conduits are connected branch pipes which in turn are connected to upright branch tubes extending vertically downwardly from a spile located in a borehole provided in the tree trunk. Thus, sap is conveyed from the tree via the spile down the upright branch tube to a branch pipe, hence to a branch conduit, then to the main conduit, and ultimately to the collection point for further processing. The main conduit, as disclosed by the patentee, is manufactured of sheet metal bent to form a tubular structure. At desired locations along the main conduit, the metal strips of which the conduit is constructed is bent upwardly to provide a flange which defines an opening for intrusion of the end of the branch pipes. Similar openings are provided in the branch pipes and branch conduits for intrusion of the lower end of an upright branch tube. Although the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,186,741 is deemed to be somewhat of an improvement over the use of buckets for collecting sap from the maple trees as earlier done, it will be appreciated from a review of the patent that such collection system is attendant with certain problems. The openings provided for location of the ends of the branch tubes and branch pipes are not sealed, leaving the sap being collected subject to contamination by insects, dirt, and foreign materials.
Other sap collecting systems involving interconnected conduits are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,877,601; and 4,366,648. The patentee in U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601, discloses that early tree-to-tree collection systems involved open troughs and somewhat later ones comprised a network of piping (believed by applicant to be similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,186,741). Nevertheless, based upon the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601, little, if any, improvements had been made in tree-to-tree collection systems from the time of those earlier inventions to that invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601, which issued on Mar. 17, 1959. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601, the open trough systems were exposed to foreign substances blown about by the wind which substances had to be removed before processing the sap. Also, the troughs were damaged by falling limbs and traversing of deer and other animals through the woods. As a result, such systems were, as disclosed by the patentee, unsuccessful. The early piping networks were also, according to the patentee, attendant with certain problems in addition to being subject to damage by falling trees and animals passing through the sugarbush. Thus, the pipes were damaged by expansion of the sap on freezing. And, with warmer weather, the sap took to long to thaw out. As a result, the new flow of sap would spill to the ground until the pipes thawed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601, the patentee discloses a sap collection system which comprises a main or trunk line and branch lines interconnected together, which lines simply are laid on the ground. Trees are connected one to another, in serial fashion, by branch lines connected one to the other, the end one of which connects into the main line. Each tree is provided with a fitting which is basically a Tee-connector. Thus, there is provided a tubular section extending horizontally from the body of the connector which extends into the borehole provided in the tree trunk at one end thereof and into a bore in the body member at the other end. A horizontally disposed tube provided with a side opening at its mid-point extends through the body member and perpendicular to the first tube, to the opposite ends of which are connected the ends of branch lines from adjacent trees. Thus, accordingly to the patentee, other is provided a closed sap collection system which has the advantage of appreciably curtailing bacterial slimes and preventing bacteria laden air from coming into contact with sap. The branch and main line tubing are formed of a somewhat flexible synthetic plastic material, according to the patentee, such as polyethylene or vinyl resin. As a result, the sap in the collection system is less subject to freezing and thaws out quicker by constructing the system, as disclosed by the patentee, of a dark material, e.g., black tubing, having relatively high solar heat absorbing properties. Nevertheless, the use of such a sap collection system is necessarily accompanied with certain problems. Thus, as will be appreciated, as the branch and main line tubing are provided of somewhat flexible material, and such tubing is laid directly on the ground, the tubing of the system will conform to the contours of the ground on which it is laid. As a result, the collection system will naturally develop sags therein, in certain locations, allowing stagnate sap areas to develop. Sags in such a flexible tubing system will become permanent collecting points for sap. With cold weather in the spring during the sap harvesting, the stagnant sap may even freeze causing an obstacle to sap flow until the blockage thaws out. When the weather becomes warmer, the stagnant sap may become a "hot-bed" of bacterial buildup which contaminates the sap, lowering its quality grade and value. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,104, maple sap will become rancid if it is allowed to stagnate in any one place for a relatively short period of time. Care must then be taken, even when the sap is running, to avoid low regions in the lines where the sap might stagnate and eventually spoil. Rancid sap contained in the lines carrying the sap can even contaminate running sap passing through the infected regions and thus degrade or even spoil an entire production run. In any event, sags are counterproductive to the total collection system which works best and produces higher volumes of sap when there are no sags to reduce flow efficiency. The greater the number of such sags and stagnant sap areas that develop in a sap collection system, the greater the potential of the problems just described. Moreover, as disclosed in FIG. 2 in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601), the flexible tubing is merely connected to the Tee-coupling by a friction fit resulting from sliding the end of the tubing over the smooth end of the tubing connector of the coupling. Thus, it is believed that such a connection is obviously limited in the pressure that it can withstand, during the sap harvesting or in the cleaning of the system by reverse flushing or the like methods, prior to separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,648 likewise discloses a tree sap collection system which comprises a main conduit extending through a grove of trees with branch conduits extending from the main conduit to each tree. The branch conduits are connected to the main conduit through a coupling which includes a plurality of equiangularly spaced-apart connectors with each connector connected to the end of a separate branch conduit. Each branch conduit terminates at the end opposite from the main conduit in a Tee-coupling provided with three elongated connectors, one of which is connected by a length of tubing to a spout which, during the sap collection period of time each year, is located in a borehole provided in a tree. At the end of the sap collection period, the spouts are extracted from the boreholes, and each spout is then plugged, in accordance with the invention disclosed in that patent, to prevent the entry of foreign materials, such as dirt or insects, on the conduit system. It is not clear from the disclosure of the patent whether the main and branch conduits are laid on the ground. The patentee does not, however, expressly disclose that the conduits of the system are supported above-ground. Moreover, the Tee-couplings do not appear from the disclosure in the drawings in the patent to be attached to the trees. They appear to be located on the ground further indicating that the tubing in the collection system is laid on the ground. Thus, it would appear that, just like the collection system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,601, this collection system may be attendant with the same problem of sags in the lines and stagnant areas of sap collecting in the tubing system. In any event, the patentee discloses that the tree sap collection system is intended to remain installed throughout the year with only the spout which was inserted within each tree, being removed. Cleaning of the system, according to the patentee, is accomplished with the system in place, as initially installed, by forcing cleaning fluid in a reverse direction to sap flow through the system.
Although the apparatus of the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,648 advantageously provides a closed system and protects the sap in the tubing from contamination by foreign objects, its use nevertheless presents other problems and difficulties. As disclosed in the patent, and seen in the drawings, the various connectors on the various components connecting the tubing involves a plurality of spaced-apart annular ribs. Such connectors, however, while providing for tight, secure connections between the tubing and the connectors, do not allow for ready and easy removal of the tubing from the connector, e.g., where cleaning of portions of the system may be desired, or in cases where lengths of conduit need be replaced with conduit of a different length or changed for some reason, or the drop line from the spout need be replaced with a shorter or longer length. In most instances where the connectors are provided with such annular ribs, the tubing must actually be cut off the connector. This not only destroys the ned of the tubing, sometimes necessitating its disposal or at least replacement with another length of tubing but oftentimes this results in damage to the connector, necessitating the replacement of the connector. Such problems naturally add to the cost and expense in the operation and maintenance of the sugarbush. The difficulty experienced with such tubing removal is one reason why some sugarbush operators are reluctant to take down the sap collection system, or any part thereof, for storage or cleaning, or for the thinning of the sugarbush, or for any other reason.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,053, which issued on Nov. 10, 1981, discloses that it is conventional practice to remove the sap spouts from the trees after each sap season so that the healing of the boreholes will take place. New boreholes are then drilled and spouts inserted in them in subsequent seasons. In order to reduce the amount of labor associated with disconnection and reinstallation of the plastic tubing sap collection system, it is usual practice t hang the partially disassembled system from the trees in the maple grove. Because prior art sap collection systems have not been designed with this mode of use in mind, according to the patentee, two significant problems have occurred. First, because either a prying tool or a hammer must be used to remove prior art plastic spouts from the tree bore holes, a substantial amount of spout breakage occurs during such removal. Second, storage of the sap collection systems having on the trees has allowed contamination to enter the partially disassembled system through openings in them, e.g., the open end of the spout. For example, mud wasps will often plug up the spouts if they are left open and hanging on the trees. Although this latter problem has been alleviated somewhat, according to the patentee, by providing separate plastic plugs for insertion into the openings, the necessity for a separate part adds inconvenience to the use of the system. A further problem associated with some prior art plastic plugs, as disclosed by the patentee, arises when the system is cleaned by forcing water through it. The plastic plugs are blown out of the openings with even a small amount of water pressure. This hampers the cleaning operation making such more time consuming, costly and difficult.
Accordingly, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,053, a member comprising in combination a connector and plug for use in a sap collecting system in which a length of plastic tubing, i.e., a drop line, is connected at one end thereof to a spout inserted in the borehole provided in the trunk of a tree and at the other end to the connector member. This member, as disclosed in the patent, is in the shape of a Tee-connector which is provided with three fittings, two of which are horizontally disposed and in direct opposition to one another, and the other of which is vertically disposed downwardly. An axial passageway is provided in the downwardly extending fitting which intersects with an axial passageway defined by the other two fittings. In opposition to the downwardly projecting fitting on the member is a tab in which is provided a hole through which a nail may be inserted to mount the connector member to the trunk of a tree, as a part of the collection system. Extending outwardly from the body of the combination connector and plug is a cylindrically shaped plugged for engaging the open end of the spout, when such is removed from the borehole, at the end of the sap collection season. The spout, as disclosed in the patent, is provided with a downwardly projecting elongated fitting which is connected to the downwardly projecting fitting on the Tee-connector member by means of plastic tubing forming a part of the collection system. Thus, sap coming into the open end of the spout flows through the spout, down the fitting projecting downwardly therefrom through the tubing connected to the Tee-connector and out the down-side horizontally disposed fitting of the Tee-connector through a branch line connected thereto, to a main conduit. When the sap collection season is over, the spout is removed from the borehole in the tree, and the open end thereof is fitted onto the plug. Thus, there is provided a closed loop in the system allowing the system to be cleansed by back flushing with water. As the borehole provided in the tree is left exposed to the air, normal healing of the borehole takes place after the sap collection season. In a subsequent season, a new borehole is provided in the tree trunk, and the spout is inserted into the new borehole in conventional manner. Although the invention disclosed in this patent has certain advantages, its use is accompanied by at least some of the same problems earlier disclosed. The drop line obviously has a sag therein during the sap harvesting season, as will be readily appreciated by reference to FIG. 3 of the drawing, which is undesirable. Moreover, the annular ribbed fitting son the connector member make removal of the plastic tubing therefrom extremely difficult, as earlier disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,104, earlier mentioned, discloses a drop line assembly for use in a sap collection system. The drop line assembly comprises a molded tap, or spout member, which comprises a housing having a front face from which protrudes an elongated tapered spout and a bottom from which extends downwardly an elongated drop line connector. The spout member and drop line connector each define axially aligned passageways which intersect with one another inside the housing. As disclosed by the patent (FIG. 3), the inner end of the passageway in the elongated fitting intersects the passageway defined by the tapered spout at an angle of approximately 90 degrees adjacent its end. Thus, the portion of the spout passageway extending beyond the intersection with the passageway in the elongated fitting serves as a collection point for wood particles which on buildup can cause a flow blockage necessitating cleaning. The other end of the elongated fitting is connected to one end of a flexible tubular-shaped drop line, the other end of which line is connected to a conventional Tee-connector. The other connectors on the Tee-connector are each connected to branch lines connected in turn to adjacent trees from which sap is being collected. As disclosed by the patentee, the elongated connector on the spout member is provided with a series of circumferential ribs that are adapted to engage the interior of the end of the drop line tubing in gripping engagement to establish a leak-tight joint therebetween. Thus, while the drop line advantageously appears to hang directly downwardly thereby preventing sags therein with attendant potential for stagnant sap areas, when flow cases for a time, or at least slows down, the problem presented by the ribbed connectors, as earlier disclosed, remains. These ribs prevent not merely inadvertent dislodgement of the drop line from the spout, as suggested by the patentee, such circumferential ribs make disconnection of the drop line from the connector most difficult, and essentially impossible without use of a knife, or other cutting tool, to first slit the tubing longitudinally at the end. The ribs, as disclosed in the patent, slant downwardly toward the end of the connector allowing the end of the tubing to be relatively easily slipped thereover. Once in place, however, the ribs grip the interior surface of the tubing making removal of the tubing from the connector most difficult.
The advent of interconnected tubing systems for collecting sap has had a significant impact on site selection, thinning and tapping procedures. For example, prior to use of tubing systems, the trees in extreme swampy areas were not generally tapped. The sap could not be readily connected from such trees and collection, in general, was not economically justified as such areas do not usually produce healthy trees, or good volumes of sweet sap. The use of tubing systems, however, allows relatively easy gathering of sap from such areas.
The proper thinning of trees from a sugarbush is absolutely essential to the process of establishing and maintaining a healthy, productive sugarbush. Too much thinning, no thinning, or poorly timed thinning all contribute to poor tree health. Tubing collecting systems as above-described, however, are considered to be a real pain to take down from time-to-time for thinning. The collection systems as disclosed, or even portions thereof, cannot be readily or easily disassembled, due to the ribbed connections on fittings now conventionally used. As a result, many stands of maple trees are not thinned at all. Others when thinned, are "over-thinned", to avoid having to take down the tubing system and to re-install it more often than is absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, usually, frequent, light thinning is best in well managed sugarbushes. This requires frequent handling of the tubing. Thus, for proper thinning of a sugarbush and continued good maintenance thereof, to promote continued productive and healthy trees, there is a real need for tubing fittings and connectors that reduces not only the difficulty in taking down a tubing system, or disassembling potions thereof, but makes such a system also more easily and readily installable.
Furthermore, the proper tapping of individual trees in the sugarbush so as to maintain healthy trees and continued good sap productivity therefrom requires that one determine the number of taps that a tree can support at any one time and from time-to-time, and then that such taps be distributed from time-to-time over as large an area of tappable wood as possible. Distributing these "allowable" tapping injuries to a tree properly will keep them separated from each other by larger areas of healthy white wood. As a result, the tree will be better able to continue (normal sap flow) functioning. Thus, for good tree management, the length of a drop line, i.e., the length of tubing from the spout to the Tee-connector or to a branch line or conduit carrying the sap from one tree to the next, and hence to the main line, will need vary from time-to-time to accommodate the most desirable location for a newly tapped borehole. Nevertheless, this replacement of one length of drop line for another is not readily accomplished due to the difficulty in removing a particular length of drop line from the spout member in the sap collection system. As before disclosed, with the tubing connectors or fittings presently conventionally used, the plastic tubing cannot be, generally, readily removed therefrom. The drop line tubing must be cut at one end from the spout, and at the other end from the branch line Tee-connector, and often with much difficult. Due to the difficulty involved in exchanging a shorter or longer length of drop line for that already installed in the collection system, drop lines that are really too short, or in some cases too long, for good tapping procedures nevertheless continue to be used from year to year. Thus, in cases where the drop line is too short, tap hole location is determined largely by the length of the top line then being sued. In other words, the tap hole location is determined by "brining the tap to the spout". This results in a clustering of tap holes, causing serious health problems to the tree and has contributed heavily to tree dieback and decreased sap productivity from a particular tree. With such problems, the overall productivity of the sugarbush is adversely affected to a great degree.
Where, on the other hand, to avoid clustering of tap holes from continuous use of too short a length of drop line, a producer uses too long a length of line for the present location of tap hole, a sag in the line is often the result. This, of course, results in stagnant sap and the attendant problems earlier disclosed.
The minimum drop line length that should be used is at least 30 inches. Such a generous length of drop line will allow vertical staggering as well as horizontal offsetting of new tap holes. This long a drop line can be kept from forming a sag below the lateral lines, i.e., the branch lines, by tying it back when tapping at a point closer to the Tee-connector so that the flow is directed downwardly from the tap to the connector. Nevertheless, one should be prepared to move the laterals, i.e., branch lines, where possible, or change the drop line lengths, or a combination of both to utilize as much of the tapping band in the tree as possible. New taps should be placed at least six inches to one side and two feet above or below any old taps which are still open.
In the commercial harvesting of maple sap used in the production of syrup, it is not uncommon for the producer to have hundreds or event thousands of taps working at any one time. Once a sap collecting system is installed in a sugarbush or farm, as is presently done, and with the ribbed fittings disclosed in the above-mentioned prior art patents, it is very difficult to alter the configuration of that system in any way. Also, though highly desirable, it is most difficult to disassemble the system, or any part thereof, for cleaning. As a result of these difficulties, it is not at all unusual for the collections system to be left on the trees from year-to-year. When first installing a sap collecting system, the drop lines from the spout to the Tee-connector located in the branch lines are provided of a certain length. The same is true of the branch lines, which connect tree-to-tree, and ultimately connect into a main line or conduit. Thus, if any changes are to be made in the initial configuration, these lengths must be taken into consideration. At times, changes to the system can only be made by replacing certain of the drop lines, or of the various and numerous branch lines. Presently, however, any modification of any tubing system of which I am aware involves using a knife or other cutting instrument to remove drop lines from spouts and drop lines or branch lines from connectors to which such are connected in the collection system. This process is not only most difficult to accomplish because of the nature of the fittings involved, but is also time consuming and inconvenient. Moreover, it often results in costly damage to the connector fittings, with resulting loss of sap productivity because of such damage to the fittings, if such damaged fittings are not replaced. All of the above naturally contributes to the cost of the operation of the sugarbush and in the resulting products.
The difficulty of modification, and the attendant problems, as above-disclosed, causes many sugarmakers to avoid any modifications to the collection system, once such is installed in the sugarbush, and to ignore such problems and any needed changes in the system until absolutely necessary. As a result, the overall health of some sugarbushes has deteriorated more each year, and some have deteriorated to a great extent, and will continue to further deteriorate unless the trees in the sugarbush are properly tapped and the sugarbush itself properly thinned from time to time. The result of not doing so is not only a reduction in the quantity of sap collected from a sugarbush from year to year but also the quality of the sap in any one year as well which, in turn, adversely affects the finished product, e.g., the maple syrup. The presence of bad wood or decayed wood from previous improperly tapped trees can adversely affect sap quality, manifesting itself in a serious off-flavor in the syrup produced. The loss to the sugarbush owner in tree health, product yield and quality in improper tapping and thinning is expensive; however, the loss of trees from such practice is of even more concern.
Existing collection systems as above-described, while an improvement over bucket and hand gathering systems, still are attendant with many problems, as will, it is believed, by readily appreciated from the above. Thus, there is a need for a sap collection system that addresses the need for good and continued tree health. Moreover, there is a need for such systems that provide for greater ease and convenience not only in their installation, but in their maintenance and modification, resulting in economies in labor and in improved production of sap of good quality and flavor.